Why this resort is the perfect place to relax and rejuvenate

Sometimes the best thing about living in New York is to leave it, even if it’s just for a short time. With deadlines, meetings, and social events cluttering your calendar, life can get overwhelming quickly and it’s sometimes hard to see the forest or the trees – or rather the skyline. Moreover, when you have chronic anxiety, like me, a few days of respite out of town can be the perfect mental reset. So, with the days getting shorter and the pace of work picking up after a relatively mild summer (two things that can send me into a bit of an emotional slump), I was eager to experience the new Hutton Brickyard retreat and spa in New York’s Hudson Valley.

Having grown up in a relatively rural area for most of my life, I’m always happy to get back into nature, even if it’s via Amtrak and not, say, a business class flight to some exotic place. In truth, having the Catskills nearby is one of the best parts of living in this part of the country – it’s an incredibly beautiful place to visit for a long weekend. And while Airbnb rentals are becoming more common in this area, I’m definitely committed to exceptional hotel service. That’s not to say, however, that Hutton Brickyards is your average tourist spot; Far from it, in fact.

When I visited the station a few weeks ago with Suits you (the brand of outdoor shoes par excellence in my not so humble opinion) the first thing that struck me was its tranquility. The horn of the Brooklyn-Queens Freeway was replaced by the occasional hum of a houseboat passing on the Hudson River, a few feet from the restaurant and guest rooms. Sure, the weather turned rainy as we walked to our tiny individual cabins – with water views and Adirondack chairs that are just made for your morning coffee ritual – but I could already feel a few months of stress wearing off. evaporate from my still hunched shoulders.

Hannah Baxter

In addition to having thoroughly enjoyed the sound of the rain on my roof during this first night of beauty sleepI was looking forward to participating in some activities to clear my mind “what if” thoughts which can accompany anxiety. Anything that can get your body moving will help calm anxious thoughts, says neuropsychologist Dr Aaron Bonner-Jackson at Cleveland Clinic, as exercise has been shown to “restore” balance in the brain. So while I wasn’t interested in training for a marathon during my stay, i enjoyed a morning yoga practice and an afternoon nature walk through the woods. I even let our guide convince me to sample some pine needles pulled from a nearby tree before heading for an archery lesson – you can’t do that stuff in New York!

Hannah Baxter

Just after sunrise, I was putting on my new Teva ReEMBER TERRAIN shoes and walking to the edge of the river for no other reason than I wanted to breathe in the fresh air (which is really saying something because I’m *not* a morning person). I would even leave my phone in my cabin, just stepping away from my inbox and group chats for once. I was far too busy enjoying a painting lesson after my afternoon massage at the spa to worry about the pile of unanswered emails waiting for me.

Hannah Baxter

Although the trip only lasted a few days, it turned out to be exactly what I needed to disconnect and relax, proof that a change of location – and a few less noisy neighbors and blaring sirens – well worth the trip. Will a visit to Hutton Brickyards solve all your stressors for good? Certainly not. But in the interest of taking things one day at a time, and perhaps filling those days with things like apple picking and fireside pasta dinners, you might find that a trip to the north is well worth that Amtrak ride. Trust me, your Mental Health deserves priority for change. And for those weekends I just can’t make it upstate, I have my new Teva hammock and a trusty Brooklyn fire escape to hold me over until my next visit.

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